Monday, January 4. 2010

Fr Kostoff's tribute simply brilliant! Excellent! So unlike the egocentric previous tribute by a former Metropolitan Council member who for a long time remained silent over the "debacle". Many opportunities lost and so easy to arrive "in the closing hours". Memory Eternal Archp Job and our Lord will have you labor in His Kingdom of perfect love and beyond our knowledge and dimension.

The four tributes to Archbishop Job are, what apparently his funeral eulogies were not, a worthy remembrance of a life will lived that highlight the defining moment of his life!

I think it can be fairly said that without Archbishop Job, the Synod would have earned the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah, although, of course, we leave to the Lord the final judgment. One hierarchical voice crying in the wilderness of lies and corruption was all that ultimately stood between soul (and Church) destroying denial and acquiescence in evil. Of course, many others played critical roles, our esteemed editor first and foremost, but without Archbishop Job it is hard to imagine a positive outcome, or more accurately, a second chance, which the current regime is busy frittering away.

So a gentle and modest soul passes to that place where all the deceits and calumnies of the world can not touch it for holding fast to truthful witness.

Bishop Job kept many people in the church with his steadfast stand for honesty at high levels. One word serves him well.
Worthy.
We cannot measure how far and long people would have drifted if dishonest men were upheld by our leaders.
On a side note, we also lost another Orthodox person this week to H1N1/pneumonia. Resa Ellison, who directed the choir at St. Mary's in Minneapolis, died at a youthful age of 31 I believe. I am mentioning her because of my gratitude for her directing the choir at our wedding in 2007.

I've read the abolutely outstanding tribute to the Archibishop by Fr Kostoff. This was indeed an incredible reflection! Then I read the tribute by Fr Berzonsky. A "pointed" reflection but still so very well done. I am proud to have both of these men of God in my home state of Ohio and Parma is only about a half hour ride away. Both tributes left me with utter appreciation for the Archbishop who truly must have been a holy man. The tributes also left me with one thought - that there are a number of persons who need to be using the remaining time God grants them to do penance, seek forgiveness for their actions/words against him and strive to imitate this pious man of God for the sake of their salvation!

fyi: If it sounds like I didn't personally know the Archbishop, I didn't because I belong to the Bulgarian diocese. You have to stand in awe of a man who had such a profound positive, holy,godly effect on others though. I was equally impressed with his final act of humility in giving up his episcopal insignias in death.

Beautiful tributes, but I can't help but be so saddened by the way he past. He never went to the doctor. His Chancellor "begged" him to get checked, and to even call 911 the night before. In the end, he died of "stubbornness" it would seem, rather than a natural illness. There was no reason for it. Does God judge this or weigh all the good he did prior? This makes me reflective.